


The List

by BabylonsFall



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Team Bonding, kind of? best that fits anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11885118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabylonsFall/pseuds/BabylonsFall
Summary: There's a list pinned to the Back Door. Everyone adds to it, everyone takes away from it. It started as a joke, a way to process the ridiculousness that is the Library and their lives. No one thinks about taking it down.





	The List

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is short, sweet, and ridiculousness. I'm not actually entirely sure if it makes complete sense 'cause I wrote it really quick. But! I really like it, and I've wanted to get this idea out for awhile now. So hope you enjoy!

It started off as a joke.

No one thought about it when Cassandra muttered about previously thinking dragons were a really cool idea.

Except Jenkins, who pointed out that 'really? Giant, monstrous creatures with a propensity for carnage and destruction were a 'cool idea’ Ms. Cillian?’ By that point, they’d all learned to tell the differences between Jenkins’ various tones of reprimand - it hadn’t taken long honestly - and Cassandra knew he was more surprised than genuinely annoyed, so she’d just grinned and shrugged.

No one would own up to tacking the list by the Back Door. Hell, it takes a while for everyone to even _notice_ the list by the door at first. And it’s not even a list at first. Just a scrap of notebook paper with the words ‘Cool Ideas’ scribbled across the top, a bullet point and ‘dragons’ just under it, scratched out with red pen.

No one owns up to scribbling ‘minotaurs’ as the second bullet point (it was Jacob. Jenkins give him a Look ‘cause he’s the only one that figures it out, and he just shrugs. What can he say, he liked the myth). No one needs to own up to crossing it out, because they can all recognize Eve’s neat, efficient handwriting, even in bright red and looping a little in annoyance. There’s not much emotive power in a simple ‘No’ but she manages.

The first disagreement of course comes shortly after that.

Cassandra had written in Santa Claus, even before they actually _met_ Santa Claus; it showed up December 1st, and no one really thought about it until they got back Christmas day.

Eve scratched it out rather vehemently. And then demanded to know who gave Cassandra the glitter pens to rewrite it and surround it with smiley faces. Since Ezekiel crossed out _that_ one, and then threw up his hands with Eve when it reappeared again in neon permanent marker, it was obvious that Jacob was the one responsible for helping Cassandra find the colorful writing tools that Eve tried to hide. He was entirely unrepentant, and even Eve had to crack a smile when he handed Cassandra a bright purple marker without breaking eye contact with Eve across the room.

That ‘Santa Claus’ stayed.

Fairy tales was next on the list, put there just so all of them - including Jenkins this time, with perhaps a little too much violent glee - could scratch it out.

Ezekiel was banned from adding to the list shortly after that when he added a sub-list under ‘fairy tales’ that just said ‘Jack’. Not that it stopped him. He just added a new synonym each time his was crossed out. They got through ‘thieves,’ ‘jack-of-all trades,’ ‘puss in boots,’ ‘rogues,’ before everyone just left ‘Johannes factotum.’ Mostly because the reaction to that had been somewhere along the lines of ‘what the hell Ezekiel.’ But Jenkins had snorted out a surprised laugh, and Ezekiel was stupidly proud of that. Thank you wikipedia.

Cassandra added fairies. Jenkins and Eve looked her dead in the eye as they used white-out on it.

(It was added again, much later, with the addendum of ‘Ariel only,’ and allowed to stay.)

No one calls Ezekiel out when he adds ‘haunted houses,’ if only because he’s the one that hands Cassandra the red marker to cross it out and scribble ‘take that!’ next to it, after they spend most of a day gone somewhere they won’t say.

Frankenstein’s monster is the next to be added, a little while later, well after it looked like everyone had kind of forgotten the list - they’d been busy with ghosts, Dulaque, Prospero’s return...

It takes a little while for anyone to notice that Ezekiel’s added Frankenstein’s monster, but it startles a laugh out of the rather dour looking Jacob, so Cassandra comes over to see and rewards Ezekiel with a big grin. Eve sees it later, snorts and shakes her head, but Ezekiel catches the slight upturn to her lips, like she’s trying not to laugh. Jenkins just rolls his eyes in that way Ezekiel knows means he’s amused, and he’s annoyed about that. So, mission accomplished.

That’s the only one on the list that remains unmarked for awhile.

Cassandra’s the one that adds ‘shapeshifters.’ Jacob’s the one that gets the most enjoyment out of scratching it out so hard there’s actually a tear in the paper. Cassandra volunteered one of her glitter pens for it, only to snort when he almost broke the damn thing. Jacob grins sheepishly and presents her with a new set with more colors later that day.

Zombies is added soon after that. Video games next to that.

No one says a word when the list disappears for a day, only to show up the next, completely untouched except for the fact that there’s no evidence of either having ever been on there. Jacob looks vaguely guilty for a little while before he disappears with Ezekiel for a bit. They both come back and rewrite ‘video games.’ Under it, they write ‘in moderation’ and highlight it. They grin at each other and leave it at that.

Flynn makes his first contribution to the list. Everyone’s pretty sure he doesn’t quite get it when he comes back the next day to see ‘Shakespeare’ crossed out in red marker, glitter pens, and black sharpie with a couple expletives scribbled next to it.

Eve takes pity on him and pushes him to look at the other entries and their margin notes for explanation. It takes a couple moments before he laughs. And then he adds ‘time machines,’ just to see Eve grumble and huff and go after it with white out.

No one writes werewolves. Until Ezekiel does, and then they all stop holding their breath. Well, mostly all. Jacob and Flynn get funny looks on their faces, torn between tension-breaking laughs with the rest of them and looking sick to their stomachs.

Eve practically kicks the three of them out of the Library for a talk after that.

When they come back, Jacob has a bouncy ball and is getting way too much enjoyment out of tossing it and watching Ezekiel go after it and Flynn is relaxed and flitting about again, hardly a care in the world, so Eve counts it all as a win.

Cassandra adds ‘clowns’ and ‘magicians.’ Everyone kind of just looked at her, and all she could do was shrug and mention that she’d liked the idea of them at birthday parties as a kid. She still laughs when she comes back to the list the next day and both entries have been scratched out with frowny faces next to them.

Jacob and Ezekiel add and scratch out ‘vampires.’ Cassandra and Flynn counter by writing it larger, in colorful, glittery glory over most of the remaining space on the page (though there’s not much at this point). Cassandra even adds a couple hearts and smiley faces. Jacob and Ezekiel grumble and groan, but they’re fooling no one when everyone but Cassandra catches them watching a chirpy, bright Cassandra with a smile.

There’s no more room on the original List by that point, but it stays pinned up by the Back Door.

No one owns up to pinning the blank piece of paper under it, though at this point, there’s a suspicion going around that no one’s really thought to voice. They just smile up at the ceiling, the same way Flynn typically yells that way, and go about their day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Cross posted to tumblr [here](https://distinctivelibrarians.tumblr.com/post/164512623691/the-list).
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
